Balaklyia

We first visited Balaklyia last September, 2 days after it had been liberated from Russian occupation.  At that time, there were still destroyed vehicles in the streets, bodies of dead Russian soldiers by the side of the road, and severe food shortages.

When we visited this time, some of the damage had been repaired, but times are still really hard.   Many businesses were destroyed, so unemployment is very high.  A great example of the result of the Russian occupation is the once-thriving machines shop in some of the photos below.  What a shame to see all this equipment destroyed, just sitting there exposed to the elements.